Wednesday, November 30, 2016

I have still been working on a few alcohol ink tiles. They are different from doing watercolors and I'm enjoying seeing the results. These have been dropped off at a local store, and I'm hoping to get a few more done to have at my plein air group's show on Dec. 10 & 11.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Since I love doing landscapes I thought I would try them in alcohol inks. The blending is so unpredictable that I'm never sure what it will look like. I liked the results I got in this one...there will be more. This was done on a small 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 tile.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

For a while I've admired alcohol ink paintings that I've seen other artists like Julie Ford Oliver (http://juliefordoliver.blogspot.com), Sandy Sandy (http://www.sandysandyart.com), and Kellie Chasse (http://kelliesartblog.blogspot.com) paint. I've studied their paintings closely, especially Julie's and have wanted to try it. I've been gathering the necessary supplies lately and then binge watched youtube videos to try to learn the process. The videos helped a little, but playing around with the inks and seeing what they do and how they react seems the best way to learn. Here are my first few attempts.

I picked a few colors and did the backgrounds for the flowers first. If you've never used alcohol inks they don't blend easily and repel each other making different patterns. One of the videos I watched suggested you blow on the areas of ink to make them spread...but they dry very quickly so you need to use a blending solution to keep them active a little longer. When these dried I used a little ink on each of them to outline some of the petals.

For a while I've admired alcohol ink paintings that I've seen other artists like Julie Ford Oliver (http://juliefordoliver.blogspot.com), Sandy Sandy (http://www.sandysandyart.com), and Kellie Chasse (http://kelliesartblog.blogspot.com) paint. I've studied their paintings closely, especially Julie's and have wanted to try it. I've been gathering the necessary supplies lately and then binge watched youtube videos to try to learn the process. The videos helped a little, but playing around with the inks and seeing what they do and how they react seems the best way to learn. Here are my first few attempts.

I picked a few colors and did the backgrounds for the flowers first. If you've never used alcohol inks they don't blend easily and repel each other making different patterns. One of the videos I watched suggested you blow on the areas of ink to make them spread...but they dry very quickly so you need to use a blending solution to keep them active a little longer. When these dried I used a little ink on each of them to outline some of the petals.

Then I saw a few videos that did landscapes so I tried one of those. The process was a little different with more pouring or squirting of the inks, but I was very happy with the result.

Friday, November 25, 2016

When I finished the previous sketch of St. Paul's Chapel I headed to the cemetery in back of the chapel. That's where I found many of the other sketchers. I had a very short time before we were heading off for lunch so I did a quick sketch with my brush pen.

We headed over to Brookfield Place to meet our other sketchers who were taking part in a collage workshop. Lunch was next and it was fun catching up with some people I hadn't seen in a while and new people too. After lunch we went outside and sketched the views. I focused on the glass building we had been in earlier. All those panes of glass were a challenge. lol

Thursday, November 24, 2016

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. There are many things I am thankful for in my life. To those of you who visit here, leave comments, and offer encouragement I want to say that I am very thankful for your friendship. It means a lot!

I was planning on meeting the NYC Urban Sketchers last Saturday, but they weren't meeting until 11. If I go into the city I try to get in early so that I have a full day, especially since it takes so long from out here. I was in the city by 9:15 and went to Union Square first. They have a Saturday market there that has wonderful stalls, like this one with all the colorful veggies.

Next I headed further downtown to the area around where the World Trade Center had been. The sketchers were meeting at St. Paul's Chapel with was right in the shadow of the falling towers but somehow survived. I couldn't fit the whole chapel in the sketch but managed to focus a bit on the top.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

I went into Manhattan to join the NYC Urban Sketchers this past Saturday. I took the Long Island Railroad and I try to position myself so that I have someone to sketch while I ride. I started with the woman on the right and was ready to do the woman in the middle, but she spent about 10 minutes putting on makeup, so I had to do the woman on the left until she was ready. lol

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Our Wednesday night sketch group hadn't been to Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Company in Patchogue for quite a while because we were sketching outside. Now that it gets dark early we are back indoors. Here we can sip on a hot coffee or tea while we sketch the other patrons.

Friday, November 18, 2016

I went out to Hampton Bays on Sunday to see an exhibit of my friend's art group. So of course I figured I would go early and paint. I went down to Dune Road which is on a barrier island with dunes and the Shinnecock Canal at one end. I sat right next to one of the bridges and painted the view looking toward the canal. When I finished this I went over to view the the exhibit which was very nice. Stay tuned because I went back after viewing the exhibit.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Our neighborhood has been having a lot of updates lately. The street right outside our development has had crews working for the last few weeks replacing the electric poles (or that's what I think they are doing). I've been stopped in each work area for days. When I went out on Saturday there were four trucks on the street working. By the time I sketched the first one, the others had packed up and left. It must have been lunch time...but I didn't think they would have to take the trucks. lol

Friday, November 11, 2016

Happy Veterans Day! My thanks to all who have served and given so much for our freedom and liberty.

Last year I did this painting based on a photo of my father-in-law and his medals from WWII. I think it is appropriate for today.

Today I wanted to do something to honor Veterans Day so I headed to Cedar Grove Cemetery in Patchogue. I was hoping to find some American flags on the graves there, but there were only a few. I did find this one for Capt. Austin Roe who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Here is a little more info about him:

Austin was a secret agent (Spy) in the service of General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War (1776 - 1781) on Long Island he was known as the Messenger of the Culper Spy Ring. He and his band were instrumental on the capture of British Major John Andre and the down fall of Benedict Arnold in 1780.

He was liked so much by George Washington that apparently Washington visited him at his home in Setauket.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

I had gone to the Maritime Museum grounds in Sayville to meet my plein air group back I think in July. It was an overcast, damp, lousy morning and only two of us showed up to paint. This building is used as some kind of museum...I've never been inside. I stood under a pavilion just in case it started to rain. I did the pencils sketch for this and of course it started raining. So my friend, Liz and I left. I kept meaning to go back and paint it, but things like a trip to Venice got in the way. I finally went back after we returned home from Venice and I finished the piece. This is 8 x 10.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

With all my Inktober sketches and travel sketches I have quite a few things I did a while ago that weren't posted yet (or I don't think they were) like this painting done at Andrews Farm. The Andrews family has such a wonderful place and they are always willing to let us come and paint or sketch there. I usually paint the views outside, but Debby had this inside section set up so nicely I just had to paint it. Doesn't all that fresh produce look tempting? I never leave without buying some of her veggies and fruit. This is 8 x 10.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

The best part about Nashville is the music and the musicians. We went to the Commodore Lounge which is outside of town a bit. They have a songwriters night every night except Tuesday. Groups of musicians come up on stage and perform their own music. The night started with the more unknown artists and this was a group of 5 some of whom knew each other already. The two women in the bottom sketch were performing with the two guys on each end of the first sketch. It was impossible to fit all of them on the same page and as you can see I didn't quite have enough time to include as much detail in the second sketch. One musician begins with their own piece, followed by the next person and so on. Each performer gets to do 3 songs and then the next group comes on stage. It is fun to hear the variety of songs and voices. Some of the musicians through the night were good, some so-so and and a few not too good. Some of them even have CDs for sale.

The woman on the left passed by our table after they performed and my husband and I told her how much we enjoyed their music and asked if they had a CD (which they didn't) but she said we could find them on Facebook and youTube. I showed her the sketches and she loved them. She asked if she could take photos of them. Of course I let her.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Another one of the music venues we checked out in Nashville was The Stage. Instead of sketching the band I sketched some of the people enjoying the band. We've been there before and the music is always great.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Today we hit downtown Nashville. We didn't plan on being here during the Country Music Awards but somehow managed to be in the midst of it. Nashville gets crazy enough, but with all the people in town for the awards it is so crowded. Luckily our hotel provides a shuttle to the downtown area, so rather than driving down that's what we did. I did quite a bit of sketching. This was done of the band playing at Layla's Nashville. The band never gave their name but they were really good. When we got there and I started the sketch there was another woman with them, but she disappeared off the stage. You can see I left a spot for her, but she didn't come back on before we left.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Now that Inktober is finally over I can get caught up with other art I created during that time. Before we started our trip I met up with 3 friends up at Sunken Meadow State Park on the north shore. We had to paint quickly because the tide there changes rather quickly. By the time we were done the small islands were all covered up and all you could see was the tips of the grasses.

Am I glad that Inktober is over...yes and no. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure a new sketch is done daily, even though I know I don't have to do one every day. I usually sketch anyway, but this makes me more structured so that is something I will miss. It was fun to use different kinds of inks for the sketches. Too bad I didn't bring them along on the trip to continue experimenting, but I'm lucky I got the sketches done. lol I know me and I will join the group again next year.

About Me

I am a watercolor artist living on Long Island. I try my best to paint or sketch something each day, preferring to do plein air painting. My favorite thing to do is travel and paint in new locations. I am a member of the North East Watercolor Society, the Wet Paints Studio Group, the South Bay Art Association, the PALS Plein Air Society, the Patchogue Sketch Club, the Patchogue Arts Council, and the NYC Urban Sketchers.
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